Metafiction at its most weirdly satisfying. Anderson began his Thrilling Tales in 2005 with a slight not-quite-200-pager called Whales on Stilts, then followed it the next year with the rather longer Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen. Each was populated by the trio of Jasper Dash, Boy Technonaut, star of his own adventure-book series (that no one reads any more), Katie Mulligan, star of the Horror Hollow stories, and Lily Gefelty, “who observed things constantly and thought complicated things about what she saw.” This far longer tome finds Jasper returning to save the mountaintop monastery where he learned martial arts in deepest Delaware. There is no way to summarize a plot that includes shards of and snarks at Eragon, Tom Swift, chick lit and sports novels, Galaxy Quest and Indiana Jones movies and so on. Extremely funny, it’s for adults, who will get at least half the references, and for children, who will get the other half. Cyrus’s illustrations are integral and pretty darn amusing, too. (Fiction. 9-14)
Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4169-8639-3
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2009
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A deeply satisfying conclusion to a superb, groundbreaking series.
The Pandava series finale finds heroes Aru, Mini, and Brynne weaponless and thus unable to enter the labyrinth to protect the nectar of immortality from the villainous Sleeper.
Although Aru has proven her strength and courage many times over, without Vajra, her celestial lightning bolt, she feels powerless. The recent betrayal of Aru’s half sister, Kara, adds to the complexity of Aru’s familial relationships and the self-doubt that has plagued her throughout this quest. Seemingly out of options, Aru remembers the IO(F)U coin from god of fire Agni. He gives them one piece of the Sun Jewel, which, when reunited with its two other parts, will light their way through the labyrinth. During the journey to find the remaining jewel pieces, the Pandavas encounter more Otherworld characters from Hindu cosmology who test the heart and soul of each sister in their own ways. Several of these characters possess legacies that have been twisted or forgotten. This thread from earlier books reaches a head during the climax, when Aru must make a fateful decision about immortality and who is deserving of having their story live on. This thrilling closing adventure shines with the strength of sisterhood, South Asian representation, and Chokshi’s trademark humor and wit.
A deeply satisfying conclusion to a superb, groundbreaking series. (glossary) (Fantasy. 9-13)Pub Date: April 5, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-368-05544-4
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents/Disney
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2022
Eleven-year-old James Terik isn’t particularly appreciated in the Pompaday household. Marvin, a beetle who lives happily with his “smothering, overinvolved relatives” behind the Pompadays’ kitchen sink, has observed James closely and knows he’s something special even if the boy’s mother and stepfather don’t. Insect and human worlds collide when Marvin uses his front legs to draw a magnificent pen-and-ink miniature for James’s birthday. James is thrilled with his tiny new friend, but is horrified when his mother sees the beetle’s drawing and instantly wants to exploit her suddenly special son’s newfound talents. The web further tangles when the Metropolitan Museum of Art enlists James to help catch a thief by forging a miniature in the style of Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer. Delightful intricacies of beetle life—a cottonball bed, playing horseshoes with staples and toothpicks—blend seamlessly with the suspenseful caper as well as the sentimental story of a complicated-but-rewarding friendship that requires a great deal of frantic leg-wiggling on Marvin’s part. Murphy’s charming pen-and-ink drawings populate the short chapters of this funny, winsome novel. (author’s note) (Fantasy. 10-14)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-8050-8270-8
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano/Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2008
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